Lithium-Ion Battery Collection Reaches A New High, Allowing For An Increase In Battery Recycling

Call2Recycle, a consumer battery stewardship and collection program, released its battery collection data for 2022. The report shares that they collected 3 million pounds of lithium-ion batteries, which is the highest number of batteries collected in the company's history and reflects a 13% increase in lithium-ion battery collection. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are an essential component of electric vehicles (EVs).

The company goes on to share that a large percentage of donations were due to an increased awareness of the benefits of recycling programs, as well as state-mandated recycling programs. Vermont, for example, was the first state to mandate primary battery production to finance a battery recycling program. Legislations like this and more aggressive targets like the EU’s mandatory recycling requirements for battery manufacturers are creating more environmentally-conscious industry standards.

What Happens After Lithium-Ion Batteries Are Recycled?

When a battery is recycled, the valuable materials it is made of can be recovered and used to create new batteries or battery-ready materials like cathodes. Recycled and upcycled lithium-ion batteries are projected to be an important part of the future of energy storage as demand for EVs continues to rise.

From an environmental standpoint, recycled batteries are an obvious win for sustainability but even more than that, current supply chains that provide brand-new lithium-ion batteries cannot keep up with demand. A recent report by McKinsey predicts that at least 120 to 150 new battery factories will need to be built between now and 2030 globally to help meet the expected demand. Furthermore, the report puts an emphasis on upcycled and recycled batteries to help meet demand due to finite mining resources.

RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc. AMYZF is one of the companies pioneering recycling-upcycling technology. RecycLiCo is a battery materials company focused on recycling and upcycling lithium-ion batteries. It has created a patented, closed-loop hydrometallurgical process that can capture up to 100% extraction of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese from waste LIB material and integrate the materials into the remanufacturing of new LIBs.

RecycLiCo recovers up to 100% of cathode metals from battery scrap and upcycles them to high-purity, battery-ready materials. Because of their closed-loop process, RecycLiCo’s process has a lower environmental impact compared to competitors that have complex processing and purification steps that result in extensive liquid and waste production. The circular model also cuts costs for manufacturers and decreases reliance on foreign supply chains.

RecycLiCo has already reported success using its process. In a successful test, a Korean cathode manufacturer used the company’s recycled-upcycled precursor cathode active material to create battery cells. RecycLiCo’s NMC 811 precursor comprising nickel, manganese, and cobalt oxide outperformed other recycled cathode precursor materials. Additionally, RecycLiCo’s product performed at the same level as existing commercial NMC 811 precursor material.

As the number of recovered and recycled lithium-ion batteries continue to increase due to governmental pressures and the efforts of companies like Call2Recycle, battery recyclers like RecycLiCo could be well-positioned to take advantage and become primary suppliers for car manufacturers. RecycLiCo has looked to plant itself as a pioneer and innovator in a relatively small and new field.

This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice.

Featured Photo by Jenny Ueberberg on Unsplash